Entries are set to open for the Dorset Apprenticeship Awards, celebrating the achievements of rising stars in the workplace.
Applicants can enter from Monday February 5 onwards, the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week.
Dorset Chamber – the county’s leading business support organisation – has joined forces with the Dorset and Somerset Training Provider Network for the third annual initiative with sponsorship from manufacturing firm Superior.
Awards will be presented in five categories at an awards ceremony with the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset on May 17.
The categories are:
Level 2 (Intermediate) Apprentice of the Year
Level 3 (Advanced) Apprentice of the Year
Level 4 or 5 Higher Apprentice of the Year
Degree Apprentice of the Year
They are free to enter with entries invited from apprentices and their employers across the private, public and charitable sectors.
Ian Girling, chief executive of Dorset Chamber, said: “We are excited to open the Apprenticeship Awards for entries.
“They recognise and celebrate the invaluable contribution that apprentices make to businesses and the economy in Dorset.
“Apprenticeships can transform lives and kickstart careers while supporting the growth and excellence of businesses.
“Apprentices are the future of our business community and I look forward to reading some truly inspirational entries.”
Entrants must be undertaking a traineeship or apprenticeship programme, or have completed a programme within the last twelve months. Entries close on March 15.
Tim Brown, managing director of Wimborne-based Superior, said: “We are delighted to support apprenticeships and trainee programs across Dorset, to highlight the fantastic benefits that they bring to both the business and the apprentice as they develop their career path.”
The award ceremony will be held at Superior. Each winner will be profiled in the Dorset Business Focus magazine.
The Dorset Apprenticeship Awards are separate to the Dorset Business Awards, which are being held in October of this year as part the chamber’s Business Festival.
They tie in with the chamber’s mission of ‘enabling better lives through business’.
Last year’s winners were Nicky Sayers from Avon Magnetics Ltd in Christchurch, Katie Smith from BBD Boom in Bournemouth and Florence Hudson from the Poole office of JPP.
The chamber – Dorset’s ‘voice of business’ – was also named as one of the top five chambers of commerce in the UK during 2023.
Ranked as the leading chamber nationally with 113 five-star reviews, Dorset Chamber celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2024.
It has more than 650 members representing approximately 37,000 employees.
Visit https://dorsetchamber.co.uk/dorset-apprenticeship-awards-2024/ for more information and to enter.